Perfect Place Setting

Perfect Place Setting

For favors sure to spark conversation, turn acorn caps into adorable mini-candles by filling them with melted wax and inserting short wicks (allow one hour of cooling time). To assemble a complete glow-on-the-go kit, stash the tiny lights, plus a few matches, in a wood box tricked out with a striker, a.k.a. a strip of sandpaper glued to one side. The final touch: Personalize the lid with a sweet frame stamp and a handwritten note. (Acorn caps, $2.50 for 100; kringlescountrystore.com. Wax, $6.70 for 1½ pounds; wicks, $2.99 for 10 yards; amazon.com. Box, $1; acmoore.com for stores. Stamp, $7; rubbersoul.com)

Go beyond the typical autumn tropes. This beautiful dinner plate features classic seasonal colors, like orange, yellow, and green, and plenty of foliage, too. But it also incorporates blowsy flowers and surprising shades of soft blue and peachy pink—which inspired the look of our entire tablescape. We topped off each dinner plate with a smaller white dish and a sprinkle of paper-punched confetti leaves. (Floral plates, $24 each; anthropologie.com. White plates, $72 for six; gracioushome.com. Leaf punch, $10.78; amazon.com)